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“I can hear you knew about this on your voice, Wyrm,” Lemuel said with a voice like a distant storm. “And I find it unlikely your consort did not know. Which means half of this Seat knew, and half of us did not.”
… and about twenty topside drakes.
“You did not outsmart me, Soul Wyrm,” Lemuel informed her while his magic drove deeper into her.
Dekka wheezed. Her fingers gathered folds of fabric at her knees. She also never broke eye contact with Lemuel. The glow frominside her skullwas horrifying. Lemuel had turned her into a streetlamp. Clouds poured out of her eyes and ears and nostrils.
“Stop,” Mahon growled. “Helena is our roost-daughter. Since when has our law required us to disclose affinities to the Seat for approval!”
“This,” Dekka told Lemuel between pained breaths, “is…why…I…told…her…to fear…you all.”
Lemuel turned a stormy gaze on me. Sorren made a noise of disgust.
“You… wouldn’t… care… if she was… another Auryn.”
Lemuel pulled back his clouds.
Dekka sagged. Blood dripped onto her dress and down her cheeks. A’ka got up, but Dekka waved her back. She tilted her head slightly, a little cold smile on her lips. She rasped, “You only care because it’s Chaos, and not Ethereal. Will she be next for you, Lemuel? Do you want all her scales too?”
More blood poured out of her nose with each word.
“She’s here because the cosmos sent her,” Dekka rasped. “Be afraid ofthat, nother.”
Auryn and A’ka both untangled themselves and went to Dekka.
“Show them,” Dekka told me.
My voice failed me. She wasn’t allowed to die! She wasn’t supposed to sacrifice herself for me!
“Stop talking,” Auryn told Dekka while A’ka wove red filaments into Dekka’s neck.
Akoni untied my dress, and I moved to the center of the stones. Lemuel turned to watch, cold as a blizzard, and just as uncaring. Assal’s gaze raked over me.
I pushed away my worry for Dekka and closed my eyes.
The box flipped itself neatly inside out.
Sorren got to his feet in a rush of shendyt and fiery hair.
I settled down on the stones in baby cobra and folded my wings.
“A Wyrm’s scales.” Lemuel circled around me.
I chirped. Not like I wanted a medallion of my own. Fuck that.
Lemuel stepped behind me. I moved my smokey, non-specific tail out of his way. It made a noise like a glass chandelier getting smashed.
Lemuel grasped one of my wings and extended it. Fine. Do whatever, I was worried about Dekka. A’ka seemed to have the bleeding stopped, and Dekka’s blue glimmer had returned to her skin.
Lemuel sat back down on his divan and glared.
Mayriel waited until A’ka had returned to Hekon’s side, but left Auryn kneeling slightly behind Dekka, to say, “The portal is no great loss. We have always acknowledged that it was extremely old and one day may collapse.”
“There is a Wyrm-caliber Chaos dragon sitting among us and you want to talk about the portal?” Sorren asked.
“Iamtalking about the Chaos dragon.”
Dekka looked at her blood covered hand. “Thepointis what shelearnedfrom the study of the portal.”
